Mikasa stood alone in the kitchen of her restaurant chopping an onion for the next dish she was creating. She was lost in thought, and immediately snapped back when she'd almost cut the tip of her thumb.

"Ow," she yelped as she waved her hand around, as if that would make the pain stop. Today wasn't a particularly good day. Eren, who had been her boyfriend for a few years now, started avoiding her after she'd brought up the subject of marriage a couple days ago. When she'd finally got ahold of him earlier today, he started spouting on about how marriage "wasn't that big of a deal", that it was the last thing on his mind. She knew he wasn't the commitment type, but geez!

Mikasa grabbed the knife and proceeded with what she was doing when a waitress popped her head in through the door. "Mikasa! There's a customer here who wants to compliment the chef."

That brightened her mood a bit. "Really? Go on, send them in!"

The customer walks in, and when she sees his face she almost has a heart attack. "Levi!"

The man across meets her eyes. "Hey."

He waited a few seconds before the waitress finally left the room. Levi held his hands behind his back as he walked a bit closer to her. "Actually, I didn't come here to compliment the chef."

"Oh… What are you here for then?"

"I," he nervously fidgeted, "I-I came to tell you that… I still love you."

Mikasa's eyes widened, "W-What?"

"I know this may be a lot to take in, and I know you're with Eren. He's a great guy—and if you say he's straight I'll believe you—but Mikasa, I had to tell you. I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you."

That's when it came back to her. They were in a relationship years ago, but it ended when he admitted he didn't see himself spending the rest of his life with her. It broke her heart to the point where she spent days in her room crying herself to sleep. She practically became a pathetic mess.

Levi waved his hand in front of her face. She had been spacing out for a few minutes. "Mikasa?"

Mikasa snapped back to reality and shook her head. "You're too late, Levi. Besides, where was all this four years ago?"

"It was stupid of me to do that, I know. Look, I'll walk away and I'll never bother you again, but only if you can tell me that Eren is willing to give you everything that I am."

"Yes," she lied, "Marriage is all he talks about. In fact, I'm the one who's making him wait."

"You are," Levi asked in disbelief, "Why?"

"Uh," she paused before snapping her fingers, "Because of the government!"

Levi's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Okay…"

Eren could feel that something was on Mikasa's mind when he noticed she wasn't eating any of the pizza laid out in front of them. "Hey, Mika. You okay?"

Mikasa glanced at him for a second before turning back to looking at the table. "Mhm," she says meekly as she nodded her head.

"Mikasa, you and I have known each other since grade school. Do not give me that crap," he lectured before grabbing her hand, "Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"I know, its just," she shuffled in her seat, "That stuff you said about marriage. You don't actually mean it, right?"

Eren inwardly panicked before clearing his throat, "Yes, actually. The whole concept of marriage is just unnatural to me."

In reality, he'd been planning on proposing to her for a few weeks now. He wanted it to be very special, but when he'd finally gotten the courage to do it their friends happened to interrupt and almost spoiled the whole thing. His plan now was to throw her off so that she wouldn't even guess that he'd propose.

Mikasa gazed at him in disbelief. "What am I doing here then?"

If this relationship wasn't going anywhere, then was she just wasting her time with him?

She fumbled around for her purse. "I have to go."

"Wait, Mika—" Eren called out, realizing that the attempt was futile.

He noticed that the other customers were staring at him. Feeling awkward, he nervously chuckled.

"Enjoy your pizza," he says before quietly getting up to pay. He walked out of the pizza parlor, immediately grabbing his phone to call Mikasa.

It dialed, but there was no answer. He tried calling again but instead it led straight to voicemail.

"Hey, you've reached Mikasa Ackerman. Leave a message after the beep."

"Mikasa, look. I'm sorry about what I said, things have been a bit crazy the last few days. Just meet me back at the house later, please?"

Meanwhile

Connie grabbed the coffee cup and made his way to the orange couch he and his friends usually sat at, this time planting himself next to the spot Sasha sat on.

"Can you believe it? Mikasa and Eren getting married. This has got to be some kind of miracle," Connie remarked.

"I know! I'm so happy for them," Sasha replied.

"Me too."

The two stayed in silence, feeling that this whole event was surreal to them.

"You think we'll ever get married," Connie asks, breaking the silence.

"Aww, Honey, of course you will," Sasha says as she pats his back sympathetically.

He turned to her, "I know, but I'm concerned about you."

"And what's wrong with me," she questioned in a threatening tone.

"Nothing, nothing," he lied, "Look, what I'm saying is… if neither of us are married by the time we're forty, how about we marry each other?"

"Why won't I be married when I'm forty?"

"No, this is just hypothetical."

"Okay. Hypothetically, why won't I be married when I'm forty?"

"Um…"

Sasha raised an eyebrow at him. He knew there was no way out of this, so he did the only thing he could do in this situation:

"I've got to go," he says quickly before speed-walking out of the coffee shop.

Connie was lucky that his friend was still drinking her coffee, otherwise she would have chased after him down street just so she could get him to answer the question.

Mikasa rang the doorbell, tapping her foot impatiently.

Soon she heard footsteps coming towards the door. When she sees the face behind it she smiles. "Annie!"

"Hey, Mikasa," Annie greets as she opens the door a bit wider for the girl to come in, "What's going on?"

Mikasa walks in quickly, pacing around a bit as she tried to find the right words. "You ever just wake up and realize you're in a dead-end relationship?"

Annie crossed her arms. "Eren again, huh?"

Mikasa nodded. "I mean, it's not like I want to get married tomorrow. I just want to be sure that I'm not wasting my time with him."

"Mikasa, you need to be patient. He'll come around."

"Well I don't want to be patient! Besides, there's someone else who does want to marry me."

"Who?!"

"Levi," she answers hesitantly.

"Levi? Mikasa you can't do that."

"And why not?"

"Um," Annie paused. She didn't want to give anything away or she might spoil the surprise. "I-I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

"Just because, Mikasa! Just promise you'll go back to your house and wait for Eren there."

Mikasa thought about it for a moment, but quickly shook her head. "No," she says before walking out the door.

Annie face-palmed as sighed in frustration. That girl could be so stubborn sometimes.

She went towards the table and grabbed her phone. She scrolled through her contacts, finally finding the right one and pressed the phone to her ear.

It rang once before the person on the other side answered.

"Annie?"

"Eren, You need to find Mikasa quickly—"

"You don't think I'm doing that already?"

"Shut up and let me speak," Annie snapped. He had a habit of not letting anyone get a single sentence out of their mouth before having to open his; of course, this was an exaggeration.

"Let's face it, this little plan of yours is kind of stupid. I would have just done it already if I were you—"

"Alright. Are you done now?"

"You did it again," she growled, "Listen to me. Levi told Mikasa he wanted to marry her!"

"What," he yelled (or screeched more like it), "What the—He's not supposed to ask my girlfriend to marry him! I'm supposed to do that! You know what? I'm going to go over there and kick his as," he growled.

"Eren, I don't think landing yourself in the hospital will solve this situation. Just go find Mikasa!"

"Alright."

Annie heard the dial tone and shut her phone off.

Levi had been sitting in his living room smoking a cigar when he heard the doorbell ring. He placed it in the ashtray and walked up to answer the door. On the other side was a stiff, confused-looking Mikasa. She pursed her lips.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hi."

"…I don't really know why I'm here."

"I never asked. You want to come in?"

She stood outside. "I don't know."

"Alright, well… I'll just leave the door open for ya'," he said as he went back to the couch.

Mikasa reluctantly walked in, not before taking off her shoes since she reminded herself that Levi wasn't fond of people walking around his apartment wth their shoes on.

"Eren's such an idiot," she yelled as she shut the door.

Levi stood up quickly. "Drink?"

"Yeah, I'll have a scotch…"

"…On the rocks with a twist? I remember."

Mikasa smiled a bit as she moved towards the couch. She then noticed the ashtray. "You still smoke cigars?"

Levi stopped his hands as he remembered how much she hated it when he'd smoke in the past. "Uh, no! That's… art. If it bothers you I can put my art out."

"No, that's okay," she waved her hand dismissively.

"So, Mikasa, let me ask you a question. Do you ever think about me? You know, since we broke up?"

"Yeah, actually. I thought about you a couple months ago."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, but… That was because I saw a sale for a broom in the cleaning aisle," she laughed.

He chuckled with her, reminiscing on the times her friends would crack jokes about him being a clean freak.

"Well, do you ever think about me in a way that doesn't involve cleaning supplies?"

"No. To be honest, getting over you was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I never let myself think about you."

Levi's eyes widened in surprise. He was thankful that his back was turned to her, that way she wouldn't be able to see his face.

There was a knock at the door. Connie warily glanced into the peephole, immediately recognizing the mop of brown hair on the other side. "I know you're in there," she sang.

He placed the safety chain on the door, preventing it from being opened all the way. He then twisted the lock to the other side.

Connie saw Sasha's light brown eye through the crack of the open door. "Connie Francis Springer," she exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, what are you middle namein' me for?"

"What was that little statement of yours about?"

"I didn't do anything! You were the one assuming I was telling you something bad."

"Let me in."

"No."

"Let me in or… I'll sick Mikasa on you," Sasha threatened, both unaware of the fact that neither of their neighbors from across the hall currently weren't home.

"No," he persisted, despite the fact that Mikasa scared the crap out of him.

"Fine," she huffed, "Mika—"

Sasha was cut off when she was suddenly pulled into Connie's apartment. She turned around, peering at him smugly. "I knew that would work."

"Shut up," he deadpanned.

Sasha hoisted herself up on the counter, swinging her legs as she looked at him. "So what was your question about?"

"Nothing," he sighed in frustration, "Geez, I shouldn't have even asked you."

"So why did you ask me?"

"Because I just want to make sure I don't die alone, okay?! This pact is kind of like a security blanket; a safety net if you will. Just in case I don't actually end up finding 'The One' I still might have a shot at getting the next best thing, which is… you, of course."

Sasha placed a hand on her heart. "Oh, Connie," she spoke in a soft tone as she went to hug him, "You're so cute."

"I know," he smiled.

She turned to look at his face, grabbing his chin so she could look at him straight in the eyes. "However, that doesn't explain why you assume I won't be married by the time I'm forty."

"Oh my— Sasha, would you just let it go already? It was just hypothetical."

"Okay," she said in a disbelieving tone.

Mikasa was down to her third, maybe fourth scotch when she began to aimlessly walk around the apartment with Levi tailing behind her.

She then saw a familiar decorative tribal mask hanging on the wall. "I missed you, you ugly, old flat-faced freak!"

Levi's eyebrows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Mikasa laughed. "No, not you," she pointed at the mask, "Him."

"Oh, okay," Levi sighed in relief.

She observed his apartment, admiring how sophisticated and… clean it looked. Almost as if no one lived there in the first place. "I missed this apartment! This is a grown-ups apartment, y'know? I-I should be with a grown-up."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying. You want to be with someone more mature."

"Y'know, let's face it," she rambled, "I'm not a kid anymore! I need to be with someone who wants the same things that I do. You coming to my workplace and telling me you love me, I want that! Not the feeling of reaching to a dead-end."

"I think that's fair."

"Fair," she scoffed, "Oh please, don't talk to me about fair. Fair would have been you wanting to marry me back then. Nothingabout this is fair. Nothing, nothing, nothing!"

Levi embraced her, "Hey, shh. It's okay!"

"…Nothing," she says.

He backs away as Mikasa stared at his face.

"I-I need to go," she stuttered, "I need to—um, figure out some things."

"I understand. Take as much time as you need. I'll be here, not smoking," he grinned.

Mikasa glanced back at him with a small smile, almost a little sad, as she walked out the door.

About a half-hour later Levi was sitting in his living area, once again, smoking a cigar as he tried to blow O's. There was a rushed knock at the door. Assuming it was Mikasa, he shoved the cigar into the ashtray, fanning the smoke away as he walked towards the door. He twists the knob and pulls the door open realizing that the person on the other side wasn't the raven he expected, but instead a mess of brown hair and a glaring pair of green eyes. "Where is she," demanded Eren.

He rushed inside, "I'm not afraid of you," he says warily.

Levi stayed next to the door. "She's not here, and please come in."

Eren paced around a bit as he panicked. "How could you ask my girlfriend to marry you?!"

Levi held up his index finger. "Wait, Eren, do me a favor and take off your shoes."

"What—"

"Just do it."

"Okay…" Eren took off his shoes, forgetting about the little rant he was planning for a moment.

"How could you ask Mikasa to marry you? I thought that you were a good guy, Levi."

"I am. It's just that unlike, I'm willing to go after what I want instead of waiting around for the supposed 'right moment'."

Eren felt his blood boil. "You waited three years in order to tell this girl you loved her! I'm. taking my chance now."

He sighed in frustration, "I even bought a ring," he says as he flung the black velvet box across the couch towards Levi. "Did you buy a ring," he asks mockingly.

"No." Levi replies, feeling defeated.

He took a look at the ring. It was a rose-shaped diamond with two sapphires on either side on a silver band.

Levi thought about the whole situation before finally coming to a decision. "You know what, Eren? You go get her. And when you do, don't ever let her go," he says sincerely, "If you do, I'll kill you," he warns.

"Don't worry, I won't make the same mistake you did."

Eren makes his way towards the door, but stops and turns towards the older man. "You know what, Levi? You are a good guy."

"I know," Levi chuckles, "I hate that."

After taking a taxi, Even found his way back to the apartment he and Mikasa were currently living in. As he got to floor they were on, he saw Connie in the hallway taking his trash out. He immediately ran up to him. "Where is she," he asked.

Connie had a disappointed look on his face. "I'm sorry, man, but she just left."

Eren felt his world crash down, "What do you mean?"

"She was crying, she had a suitcase with her. I think she said she was going to her parent's."

"What?! Why didn't you stop her, tell her this was all a plan?"

"I tried, but she wouldn't listen to me. She told me to tell you that you shouldn't call her, but if I were you, I would."

Eren felt tears to his eyes. "I knew this was stupid. This whole plan was ridiculous," he says as he took out his keys to open the door.

On the other side there wasn't a dark and empty apartment like he expected, but instead a room illuminated by many candles, with Mikasa standing in the center. "Wha—" Eren stuttered, looking back at Connie who had a smirk on his face as he closed the door to their apartment.

Eren stared at the woman of his dreams, thankful that what Connie told him wasn't true. "You're here."

"Obviously," she chuckled, "You said you wanted it to be a surprise."

He paced to her eagerly, almost caught off guard when she knelt down on the floor. "Eren," she began, "In all my life, I never thought I'd be able to fall in love with my best—" she teared up, "my best— There's a reason why girls don't do this!"

He took the initiative and knelt down across from her, "Okay! I can do this.. Oh god…" he cleared his throat, " I thought," he pauses once again, "Wait, I can do this. I thought that it mattered what I said or where I said it. Then I realized that the only that matters is that," he choked, "That you are right there beside me. Mikasa, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life making you feel the same way."

He reaches into his pocket to take out the engagement ring, not feeling the lump of the box and began to panic. "Is there something wrong," Mikasa asks.

"I don't have the ring. Oh crap, I think I left it at Levi's house."

Mikasa laughed. "It's fine. Just continue."

Eren felt embarrassed, making this whole big speech without even having the ring on him. "Anyway, Mikasa, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she nods as she lets the tears she had been holding back down her face.

They embraced each other and kissed passionately.

"Can you let us in?! We're dying out here," says a voice behind the door.

The couple immediately recognized that it was Connie, and assumed that by "us" he meant him and the rest of their friends. "Come in, come in," Mikasa exclaimed.

Each of their friends came in, embracing the couple with tear-stained faces, each person thankful that Eren didn't screw it up this time.